Draft Profile: Alec Burks

In only his sophomore season in college, Burks averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 46% from the field. Yet, with two years of eligibility remaining, he decided to make the jump to the NBA.

"It was very hard," Burks told HOOPSWORLD. "I was going to stay in school and get another year under my belt, more experience, but I feel it's the best time for me to leave."

He very well may be correct in his assessment that now is the best time to make the move to the NBA. Nearly every mock draft places him in the top ten selections, many even placing him in the top five. In a draft class which includes names such as Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams, Burks name should be called early on.

"I feel like anytime you have a chance to be a top-ten pick, you got to jump at this," Burks said. "You don't get that every day, so I had to jump on it."

Potentially already a top-ten draft pick, what impresses most about Burks is at only 19 years of age he understands he can always improve on his weaknesses. Many players are used to being pampered and told how amazing they are from Day One, so to find one who believes in hard work is refreshing.

"I don't let that in my head because you know if you start believing your own hype, you stop working. I need to keep working, stay humble, keep that chip on my shoulder and try and get better every day."

In his freshman season at Colorado, Burks shot the ball at a 53% clip, 35% from behind the three-point line. Last year, he shot 46% and 29% from behind the college three-point line. He knows shooting the ball at a high percentage is one of the biggest weaknesses in his game and is putting in time to rectify the problem.

"That's the main thing, to show everybody that I can shoot the ball from NBA three. A lot of people think I can't shoot it really good, but I'm trying to show people that I can."

How do you improve in anything? You seek out one of the best on the planet in the aspect you are attempting to improve in and work with them, pick their brain and learn from them. Burks is doing just that by working with the Billups brothers and Impact Basketball in Las Vegas to improve his jumpshot. Who better to learn from when the topic is hitting shots then Chauncey "Get Buckets" Billups?

"It's great, you know. They have the NBA experience more than anybody you know, so it's great to have them to work with me and help me out through this process."

Already a player who is ready for the bright lights of the NBA, Burks continues to work on his game. Getting to the league is only the first step in the journey, becoming a great player will take many more steps along the way. Whatever team ends up drafting him, there are guarantees he is already confident in making.

"A lot of versatility, a scorer, competitive and just do anything my team needs me to do to win," Burks said, referring to what he will bring to the team who drafts him.

With his maturity, Burks understands there are still some who doubt he will make it on the next level. He understands there is nothing he can do about the doubters other than going out on the court, working hard and not letting cockiness or doubt attack his mind. By putting in hard work, improvement and confidence will come.

"I feel like I showed them a lot during the year," Burks said. "I feel like I'll show them my improved jumpshot and they like me already. I feel like if I just show them my jumpshot, everything will go good."

Soon enough, we will know what NBA team has the same amount of confidence in Burks' abilities.

My only concern is his focus on offense than defense. He seems to be only speaking from that aspect, when we need defense-minded scorers, as well. Other than that, I'm excited for the kid. I hope he gets his selection in the top 10. I wouldn't be surprised.

The NBA Larry O'Brien Trophy's 'Big Decision': "This is hard..(smiling)...but..I've decided to take my talents to North Texas, to join The Dallas Mavericks.